Psalm 106 starts with these words. Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Most of the rest of it revealed how unfaithful God’s people were in the past. Click below to read this inspiring post.
https://www.ramckinley.com/what-is-more-important-than-your-commitment-to-the-lord/
OK! Let’s give it the same tests for reliability as any other historical document. There are four such tests:
1…bibliographic – since we don’t have the original documents, how reliable are the copies we have in regard to the number of manuscripts we have and the time interval between the original and the earliest copies? The closer the time interval, the more accurate the documents tend to be.
2…internal evidence – are there contradictions or known historical errors in the documents?
3…external evidence – do other historical materials confirm or deny the documents events?
4…archaeological evidence – do archaeological studies agree with or disagree with the documents?
In fact, the Bible encourages testing. In 1st Thessalonians 5:21, it says to test everything and hold unto that which is good. Let’s look at just the New Testament for now.
Regarding test#1, the bibliographic test, let’s look at some of the most authenticated ancient documents and compare them to the New Testament.
Document: # of documents: Years since original:
Homer – Illiad 643 400
Herodotus-History 8 1350
Thucydides – History 8 1300
Plato 7 1300
Demosthenes 200 1400
Caesar – Gallic Wars 10 1000
Tacitus – Annals 20 1000
Pliny – History 7 750
New Testament in Greek 5700 50-225
New Testament in other
languages than Greek about 19000
The more documents that we have of a work, the more chance there is that there will be disagreement between the various copies. This is NOT true of the New Testament copies. They are about 99.5% in agreement. This can be said of no other ancient document.
The closer the time interval between the original & the earliest copy of a document, the more accurate the document tends to be. As you can see,the time interval for the New Testament is far less than the other ancient documents above.
It is apparent that the New Testament stands head-and-shoulders above all the other most authenticated ancient documents.
Even if we didn’t have any copies of the New Testament, we could virtually reconstruct it from the early church fathers quoting of it. Again, this can be said of no other ancient document in existence.
Regarding test#2, the internal test about contradictions and errors in it, this can be said about it..
Dr. Gleason Archer learned over 30 languages (most of them from the Middle Eastern ancient world), taught for over 30 years in the field of biblical criticism and earned a law degree (giving him a thorough grounding in the field of legal evidences) said this…
“I have dealt with one apparent discrepancy after another and have studies the alleged contradictions between the biblical record and the evidence of linguistics, archaeology and science, my confidence in the trustworthiness of Scripture has been repeatedly verified and strengthened…There is a good and sufficient answer in Scripture itself to refute every charge that has ever been leveled against it.” The allegations of errors are usually based on a failure to recognize basic principles of interpreting ancient literature.
Regarding test#3, the external evidence about other historical materials confirming or denying the biblical events or people…
There are many non-Christian writings that confirm New Testament history, such as
1..Tacitus, a Roman considered one of the accurate 1st century historian
2..Suetonius, chief secretary to Roman Emperor Hadrian
3..Josephus, a Jewish priest, general and historian who confirms many, many Bible people and events including stating that Jesus was the Messiah who rose from the dead.
4..Thallus, who talks about the “darkening of the skies” and an earthquake when Jesus was crucified.
5..Pliny the Younger, a Roman administrator
6..Trajan, a Roman Emperor
7..Jewish Talmud, saying Jesus was crucified at Passover
8..Lucian of Samosata, a Greek writer who was very critical of Jesus, His crucifixion and Christianity
9..Mara Bar-Serapion, a Syrian writer
10..The Gospel of Truth, a gnostic document that confirms that Jesus was a historical person
11..The Acts of Pontius Pilate, an apocryphal document describing Jesus crucifixion.
12..All of the gnostic, pseudepigraphon and apocryphal writings. Who would write about a person that didn’t exist?
13…the Dead Sea scrolls
There are also many Christian writings…
The many early church fathers who kept very detailed records, which can be verified by other ancient documents. Church fathers like Ignatius, Polycarp, Tatian, Clement of Rome, Irenaeus & Papias. Most of these early church fathers were martyred for their beliefs. Who would die for a lie, knowing it was a lie?
Regarding test#4, archaeological evidence…
Whole books are not large enough to contain all the archaeological finds that have bolstered confidence in the historical reliability of the Bible.
Nelson Glueck, the great, late 20th century archaeologist said “It may be categorically stated that no archaeological discovery has EVER controverted a biblical reference.”
W.F. Albright said “Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history….Archaeological discoveries of the past generation in Egypt, Syria and Palestine have gone far to establish the uniqueness of early Christianity as an historical phenomenon.”
Sir William Ramsey said “Luke’s history is unsurpassed in respect to its trustworthiness.”
Roman historian A.N. Sherwin-White has said “For (the book of) Acts the confirmation of history is overwhelming…Any attempt to reject its basic historicity must now appear absurd.”
There have been so many archaeological discoveries that it would be too numerous to list here. Suffice it to say we have an embarrassment of the amount of proof. For a smattering of this archaeological proof, go to https://bsssb-llc.com/archaeological-confirmations-of-the-bible/
Please check out the referenced material below.
The same can be said about the Old Testament.
So if you believe anything about ancient history, like that Julius Caesar existed, etc., logically you have to believe the Bible.
All of these tests are to say that the Bible is the most historically accurate ancient book we have in our existence.
Book references:
“New Evidence That Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell
“Examine the Evidence” by Ralph O. Muncaster
“The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible” by Robert J. Hutchinson
“Baker Encyclopedia of Apologetics” by Norm Geisler
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com
Messiah is a Hebrew word that means “the anointed one”. When translated into Greek (the common language for most of the ancient world), it becomes “Christos”. This is where we get the English word “Christ” from. To the Jews, Messiah would be someone empowered by God to save people and establish God’s Kingdom on Earth.
The problem was that the Jews saw two very different pictures of the Messiah in their scriptures (the Christian Old Testament). One picture was of a Kingly Messiah who would come and set the Jews free. The other was of a suffering servant.
The Kingly Messiah (or the Son of David) is seen in scriptures likeIsaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
And Isaiah 11:1-10 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him… They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.
But the suffering servant Messiah (or the Son of Joseph) is seen in scriptures like Isaiah 53:1-5 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed…
For the Son of Joseph comparison, this is taken from https://jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/thetwocomings.htm:
-Joseph, like Jesus, was his father’s beloved son.
-Joseph was despised by his brothers.
-Joseph was betrayed for silver coins after his brethren plotted, betrayed and sold him.
-Joseph was falsely accused and imprisoned.
-Joseph was imprisoned with two criminals; one lives, one dies! Likewise Jesus was crucified with two criminals – one who found spiritual life and one didn’t.
-Joseph was then exalted to the right hand of Pharaoh, authority given to Him over all Egypt. Likewise, —Jesus was exalted to the right hand of the Father and given all authority.
-Joseph then took a gentile bride. Like Jesus took a bride (spiritually) for Himself predominantly from the gentile nations.
-Later, during 7 years of hard famine, Joseph’s brothers were forced to come to him. In the future, there is still seven years of hardship (called the day of Jacob’s trouble) that Israel as a nation will have to go through. They will at this stage be brought to the place where they will acknowledge Jesus!
-At first they don’t recognize Joseph, and he treats them harshly to bring repentance.
-Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and they are reconciled amongst many tears. Likewise, there shall be great weeping once Israel finally acknowledges their Messiah Jesus. See Zech 12:10-11.
-Joseph treats his brothers with kindness saying ‘What you meant for evil, God meant for good, to accomplish… the saving of many lives.’ What a great picture of Jesus!
The Jews of Jesus’ time were confused as to how their Messiah would appear.Some believed that one person would fulfill both pictures at one time. Others believed that two people would fulfill these pictures separately. What they didn’t see was that one person would fulfill these pictures at two different times. In other words, they didn’t see one person fulfilling the suffering servant picture, then waiting a time (what we Christians call the church age), then coming back to fulfill the Kingly Messiah.
While Jesus partially fulfilled the Kingly Messiah at His 1st coming (He told of and introduced God’s Kingdom), He will completely fulfill it at His 2nd coming. But He did completely fulfill the suffering servant Messiah at His 1st coming. And that is what this study is about. To the skeptic, many of our proofs will be explained away. But when we compute the probability of one person, out of a population of the entire world, fulfilling all of the suffering servant prophecies, that is convincing to all but the hardest skeptic. In other words, there are some people, that no matter how much proof you give them, they will not be convinced.
God starts out by telling us that He will provide us with a Savior (Genesis 3:15). I will now quote you the Old Testament scripture and it’s New Testament fulfillment. Then God gets more specific and says…
-that He will be an Israelite (Israel didn’t exist at this time) from the tribe of Abraham (Genesis 22:18 & Galatians 3:16)
-He will be a descendent of Isaac, not Ishmael (Genesis 21:12 & Luke 3:23-34)
-He will be a descendent of Jacob, not Esau (Numbers 24:17 & Luke 3:23-34)
-Of Jacob’s 12 sons, He will be a descendent of Judah (Genesis 49:10 & Luke 3:23-34)
-He will be a descendent of Jesse’s (Isaiah 11:1-5 & Luke 3:23-34)
-Of all of Jesse’s sons, He will be a descendent of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6 & Luke 3:23-31)
-A messenger come before Him, to prepare the way and announce His coming (Isaiah 40:3 & Matthew 3:1-3)
-He will begin His ministry in a particular area, Galilee. Not in Samaria, Judah, Moab, Ammon, Gilead, Edom or Aram (Isaiah 9:1 & Matthew 4:12-17)
-He’ll be rejected by the people He grew up with (Psalm 69:8 & John 7:3-5 and Matthew 13:54-58)
-Leaders will oppose Him (Psalm 2:1-2 & Matthew 12:14 and 26:3,4)
–He will be rejected as God’s Messiah (Psalm 118:22-23 & Matthew 21:42)
-He will teach in many parables (Psalm 78:2 & Matthew 13:34-35)
-He will perform many miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6 & Matthew 9:35)
-He will suddenly and forcefully enter the Temple (Malachi 3:1 & John 2:15-16)
-He will come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9 & Matthew 21:1-5)
–He will enter Jerusalem as a King exactly 483 years after the declaration of Artaxerxes to rebuild the Jewish Temple (see https://bsssb-llc.com/daniels-prophecy-about-the-coming-of-the-messiah/)
-His message will be for everyone (Isaiah 49:6 & Acts 26:23)
-He will be a ‘stone of stumbling’ to the Jews. They will not embrace Him as their Messiah (Isaiah 8:14 & Romans 9:31-33)
-He will heal the deaf and the blind (Isaiah 35:5 & Matthew 11:5)
–He will make a new, everlasting covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34 & Hebrews 10:15-20)
-He will be a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, 19 & Acts 3:18-22)
-He will be hated without good reason (Psalm 35:19 and 69:4 & John 15:24-25)
-He will do the will of God (Psalm 40:6-8 & Hebrews 10:5-9)
-He is ‘anointed’ by God (Psalm 45:6, 7 & Hebrews 1:8, 9)
-He will care for the poor and needy (Psalm 72:12-14 & Luke 7:22)
-He will speak to people in parables (Psalm 78:2 & Matthew 13:10-16, 34-35)
-He will pray for His enemies (Psalm 109:4 & Matthew 5:44)
-His Spirit will be poured out on believers (Joel 2:28-32 & Acts 2:16-23)
-A new priesthood is established (Zechariah 3:8 and Isaiah 61:6 & 1st Peter 2:5, 9)
–He will be raised from the dead (Psalm 16:8-11 & John 20 & Acts 1:3 and 2:32 and 13:34-37)
-He will ascend on high (Psalm 68:18 & Luke 24:51 and Ephesians 4:8)
-Death is swallowed up in victory (Isaiah 25:8 & 1st Corinthians 15:54-57)
It’s possible that one man could fulfill several of these prophecies. It’s impossible that one man could fulfill every single one of these prophecies. Because the Jewish Temple was destroyed in 70AD, the Jewish Messiah had to come before then. Otherwise, they would have no way to trace His lineage (all the lineage records were kept in the Temple. Since then, only 1 or 2 tribes can be traced and they are not the tribe of Judah) and for Him to fulfill the prophecies pertaining to the Temple. The only person before 70AD that could fulfill all of these suffering servant prophecies was Jesus. Read about the Messianic prophecies probabilities on https://www.bsssb-llc.com/prophecy-probability/.
For someone to deny that Jesus fulfilled the suffering servant prophecies would be irrational. Such a person cannot be reasoned with.
God did indeed, provide us with not only a road map to the Messiah but with an exact map to who, when and where that Messiah would appear in human history. Therefore, humanity is without excuse as to who, when and where God’s Messiah is. He has made it very clear that who His Messiah is and why He came down to Earth. All we have to do now is to accept Him into our hearts. May you have the joy of knowing Him.
For God’s Messiah,
Dave Maynard
https://bsssb-llc.com
Free eBook
Does God Really Put A High Value On Us?
A Free eBook that will help you to understand how much God loves and values you. This post is a review of each of the seven chapters which makes up the book. It also has a link so you can check out other free eBooks.
https://www.ramckinley.com/does-god-really-put-a-high-value-on-us/
God Is Still Out There, No Matter What Others Say
In many of the Psalms that David wrote, he often asked questions like, “Lord where are you?” But he always came back to a statement of victory or praise. What David understood and what we need to understand is, God is always there. Click below to read today's post.
https://www.ramckinley.com/god-is-still-out-there-no-matter-what-others-say/
If your bathroom environment is dim, then you need a smart mirror even more. Sometimes girls are anxious to make makeup in the bathroom, but the light in the bathroom is not enough, but all the skin care products and makeup are in the bathroom. At this time, you only need to turn on STANHOM. The light of the bathroom mirror can quickly apply makeup. Natural light simulates the real light source. You are not afraid of the color difference of the base makeup. You can see the true state of the makeup. The white light simulates the strong light environment, such as a spotlight or a stage, and you can clearly see the face. For blemishes and acne, the eyeliner can also be very clear. The warm light creates an atmosphere. When you come home from work and take a bath to relax, the yellow light has a warm feeling and makes you feel very comfortable.
If your bathroom environment is dim, then you need a smart mirror even more. Sometimes girls are anxious to make makeup in the bathroom, but the light in the bathroom is not enough, but all the skin care products and makeup are in the bathroom. At this time, you only need to turn on STANHOM. The light of the bathroom mirror can quickly apply makeup. Natural light simulates the real light source. You are not afraid of the color difference of the base makeup. You can see the true state of the makeup. The white light simulates the strong light environment, such as a spotlight or a stage, and you can clearly see the face. For blemishes and acne, the eyeliner can also be very clear. The warm light creates an atmosphere. When you come home from work and take a bath to relax, the yellow light has a warm feeling and makes you feel very comfortable.
Does God Really Place A High Value On Me?
Free EBook
Jesus said in John 17, “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.” He loves you and His Word confirms His love for you. Click on the link below to get your free eBook.
https://christian-perspectives.ck.page/00b31bb45d
In Psalm 68, David demonstrated how we can continually rejoice and be glad in the Lord. In this post we'll examine how this can happen for us through all of our daily activities every day. Click the link below to read today's post.
https://www.ramckinley.com/how-to-continually-rejoice-and-be-glad-in-the-lord/
Some people ask this question to cast doubt on whether God is fair. But it is a legitimate question, so let’s explore it.
Another good example of this is Helen Keller. She was blind & deaf. When she finally learned to communicate with the outside world, someone told her about Jesus. Her response was…So that’s His name. I’ve known Him for years, I just didn’t know His name. God had revealed Himself to her even though she was blind & deaf.
So it’s not the case of God not getting His message to someone who is seeking after the truth (Acts 10:34,35). To anyone who honestly desires to know God, He will somehow reveal Himself to them. He gives everyone some light. If they want more, He will give them more. If they don’t want more, He will honor that also. Will people go to hell because they haven’t heard of Jesus? No! God will reveal Himself to everyone that wants to know. What they do with it is up to them.
For His kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://BSSSB-LLC.com
Psalm 149 is wonderful Psalm of praise. In verse 6 however, there is a turn to warfare in the Psalmist’s thoughts. Click on the link below to see how this applies to us.
https://www.ramckinley.com/the_glorious_privilege_of_gods_faithful_ones/
Those who have the mind of Christ are able to discern spiritual things that the natural man (or the unbeliever) cannot understand or see. 1 Corinthians 2:16
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2). Our minds need to be consistently renewed, moving away from the mind of the flesh and into the mind of Christ.
Having the mind of Christ means we “look at life from our Saviour’s point of view, having His values and desires in mind. It means to think God’s thoughts and not think as the world thinks.”
The Bible teaches us that we must first trust Christ as our Savior to receive the Holy Spirit who enables us to have the mind of Christ. Having the mind of Christ gives the ability to understand and know the deep things of God, which will help us have victory in our life and have confidence that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us Philippians 4:13.
Philippians 4: 3- 9. Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].
8 Finally believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. 9 The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.
What Is The Cause Of Our Great Joy?
What is the difference between joy and happiness? Happiness is triggered by things going on around us. Joy is attributed to something very consistent and internal. This post is written from Psalm 32. Click on the link below to read it.
https://www.ramckinley.com/the-cause-of-our-great-joy/
Alleged errors in the bible
Do you feel embarrassed when someone points what seems to be an error in the bible and you have no answer for it? Fear not! Chances are very good that this question has been asked and answered many times in the last 2,000 years. All you have to do is a little digging to find the answer. Such a questioning spirit, far from being denounced, is endorsed by the bible itself when it says to “…test everything. Hold on to what is good.” (1st Thessalonians 5:21).
A funny thing about skeptics is that they know what they believe but most of them have NEVER sought out what Christians believe about their “errors”. We’ll look at 5 types of errors in the bible;
– inconsistencies
– New Testament quotations of Old Testament passages
– historical errors
– scientific errors
– moral errors
Bible Inconsistencies:
– Genesis 7:4 says the Flood lasted 40 days but Genesis 7:11 says it lasted one full year. Verse 4 says the rain fell for 40 days while verse 11 says it took one year for the waters to dry up enough for Noah and his family to leave the Ark and step on to dry land.
– Genesis 6:19 says at least 2 of “all that lives” went into the Ark. But Genesis 7:2 says that 7 pairs of clean animals and 2 pair of every unclean animal went into the Ark. Genesis 7:2 is just more specific than Genesis 6:9, delineating the difference between clean and unclean animals.
– Genesis 11:31 says Abraham came from Ur (in southern Iraq) but Genesis 29:4-13 says he came from Haran (in northern Iraq). If you look at an ancient map, you’ll see that Abraham originally came from Ur, then his family moved to Haran where he received his call from God.
– Genesis 22:2 calls Isaac Abraham’s only son but Genesis 16: 1,2 15 said he had Ishmael before that and Genesis 25:1,2 says he had other sons. Ishmael was conceived with a concubine and his other sons were conceived with his 2nd wife. Isaac, who was conceived with his 1st wife Sarah, was the child of promise (Genesis 17:16,19) and the rightful, primary heir (Genesis 25:5,6). Isaac was the only “son of the covenant”.
– the two separate creation accounts in Genesis 1:1-2:3 and Genesis 2:4-25. But they’re not separate accounts. Genesis 1 is a more general, chronological account of the creation of the cosmos and earth. Genesis 2 is a more specific account of Adam and Eve’s creation. They’re
not separate accounts but complimentary accounts.
Alleged Errors of New Testament quotations of Old Testament scriptures:
New Testament authors appear to misquote Old Testament scriptures often. Matthew 4:14-16 quotes Isaiah 9:12 but the quotation doesn’t match Isaiah in either the Greek or Hebrew version. These types of examples can be easily explained by knowing something of Jewish culture. Jews in Jesus’ time quoted the bible by memory. Copies of the scriptures were not plentiful as the printing press hadn’t been invented yet. But quoting anything from memory usually doesn’t come out verbatim. Also, they sometimes only had access to a very loose Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew quotation. Its little wonder that the texts are not word-for-word quotations, but none of them are contradictory to the other scriptures. The Jews of that time understood these quotations quite well. There was never a disagreement with what they meant until hundreds of years later.
Alleged Historical Errors:
For example, Genesis 14:14 describes Abram pursuing the surviving kings of Sodom and Gomorrah to the city of Dan, which wasn’t called that in Abram’s day. But this isn’t an error. Some of the Old Testament events were passed on orally before they were written down. When they were written down, the writer often referred to their names at that point. It would be like someone saying the Indians occupied the land of Detroit (even though it wasn’t named Detroit at that time).
A more serious discrepancy is when Genesis 23 refers to Abraham buying a cave from a Hittite…or that Bathsheba’s husband Uriah was a Hittite (2nd Samuel 1). Until 1906, we knew nothing of Hittites archaeologically. Many archaeologists thought this was an error in the bible. But in 1906, archaeologist Hugo Wuickler found more than 10,000 clay tablets of the royal Hittite library. The Hittite nation was located right where the bible said it was. There are still many people, places and events in the bible that we don’t have proof that they existed…yet. But we have proof of so many other things that it’s probably just a matter of time before we find them. Remember, archaeology is a relatively new science. It’s just in the 19th & 20th centuries that most of these places have even been excavated.
Nearly 100 biblical people, dozens of biblical cities and over 60 historical details in John’s Gospel, plus many other things have been confirmed thru archaeological research. The Israeli Antiquities Authority has over 100,000 artifacts that have been discovered in Israel alone since 1948.
Alleged Scientific Errors:
Leviticus 11:19 calls a ‘bat’ a bird. Leviticus 11:21-24 says grasshoppers and beetles “walk on all fours”. But insects have 6 legs, not 4.
But these “errors” are just an attempt to impose scientific language on passages that weren’t meant to be read that way. Today, we often say that the Sun rises at 6AM. Scientifically speaking, the Sun doesn’t move. So, are we lying when we say that? Of course not! That language is not meant to be taken scientifically. Now let’s look at the above examples in light of this:
-Leviticus 11:19…the Hebrew word for “bird” could also be translated “flying thing”. In other passages, the same word is used for birds and bats. It just refers to them “flying”.
-Leviticus 11:21-24…the phrase “walks on all fours” is just a colloquial expression, not a scientific one. It just means they’re walking on their legs. The modern phrase “the 4 corners of the Earth” doesn’t mean that the Earth is flat. It’s just a way of describing how far points on the Earth are separated from each other. In Psalm 6:6, the psalmist says he cried so much that he drenched his couch with tears. Do you really think if you touched his couch it would be wet? Of course it wouldn’t be. It’s just a colloquial expression that means he cried a lot. The bible, being written in the everyday language of its time, has many such expressions.
Other errors skeptics say are impossible are things like:
-Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14:24) or
-a burning bush that isn’t consumed (Exodus 3:2-5)
These aren’t refutations. They’re dogmatic assertions that miracles can’t happen. We can answer these questions in two ways;
1)…just because we cannot understand it now doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Many things we’ve discovered in the last 100 years, past peoples would have said couldn’t happen. An airplane flying is one of them.
2)…if there is an all-powerful God who created the physical laws of the universe, does it make sense to say He couldn’t abrogate those laws at His discretion?
Alleged Moral Errors:
This is probably the biggest area of attack that skeptics and atheists launch against the bible. Noam Chomsky says, “The bible is one of the most genocidal books in history”. Richard Dawkins says, “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction…a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously, malevolent bully”. WOW! What a mouthful! But are these charges true?
In looking at the following verses, we have to say that God did order the Israelites to kill certain nations. Exodus 23:32-33 34:11-16 and Deuteronomy 7:1-6 20:16-18
It’s important to point out that these verses apply to these Canaanite nations only and are not meant to apply to just any nation.
OK, so what was it that God had against these Canaanite nations? We know from other scriptures and from history that the Canaanites practiced…
– sacrificing innocent children to their gods by burning them on altars
– bestiality (having sex with animals)
– gang rape
– very perverted sexual practices
But God did not quickly judge the Canaanites. He gave these people hundreds of years to change their ways. Genesis 15:13-16 says that “the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure”. There comes a point in some peoples lives where they will never change, no matter what. At that point, God stepped in to stop the carnage. These nations were cut off to prevent the corruption of the rest of the world and Israel (Deuteronomy 20:16-18).
Deuteronomy 9: 5 says, “It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations”. When a nation starts burning its children as a gift to the gods (Leviticus 18:21) and practices sodomy, bestiality and all sorts of sinful behavior (Leviticus 18:25-30), judgement will come to stop the sin from spreading. Just as surgeons do not hesitate to amputate a gangrenous limb, so God will do the same. This is not doing evil so good may come. It is removing the cancer that would have eventually killed the good.
People who attack the bible on moral grounds usually make the mistake of anachronism. They apply our standards of justice to God acting back then. They don’t realize that our standards of justice come from applying biblical standards over hundreds of years. God meets people where they’re at, not where we’re at, and applies His justice to them. We forget that throughout history, barbarism has been the rule rather than the exception. Some examples are…
– archaeological excavations at Carthage, the west African colony, have found 20,000 urns of sacrificed infants. They believe that child sacrifice took place continuously for nearly 600 years. Child sacrifice was done for a number of reasons. Because some god demanded it, because you wanted a good harvest that year, or success in your business, etc.
– in the palace relief of Assyrian king Ashur-nasir-pal II (884-859 BC), his armies are cheerfully depicted skinning captured enemies alive, cutting off hands and feet and ears, pulling out tongues and eyes and decapitating mounds of heads to further terrify their enemies.
But gradually, over centuries thru the words of His prophets, God lead His people to greater levels of compassion and mercy. Much of this can be seen in our course “How Christianity Changed the World” on this website.
Modern critics who say the bible justifies war and genocide are looking at isolated passages taken out of their historical and textual context. Remember war is just one of the punishments that God metes out for injustice and bloodshed. Isaiah 4:26,28 affirms this.
What about the moral laws of Leviticus chapters 18 thru 20? I’ve done an FAQ on this at http://BSSSB-LLC.com/why-are-some-old-testament-laws-valid-for-us-today-but-others-aren%27t.
I’ve also done an FAQ on bible errors and contradictions at http://BSSSB-LLC.com/what-about-all-those-errors-and-contradictions-in-the-bible/.
References:
Books;
“Hard Sayings of the Bible” by Kaiser, Davids, Bruce & Brauch
“When Skeptics Ask” by Geisler & Brooks
“The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible” by Robert Hutchinson
“Answers to Your Bible Questions” by Ed Strauss
Websites;
www.comereason.org/bible-contradictions-explained.asp
www.defendinginerrancy.com/bible-difficulties/
For His Kingdom,
Dave Maynard
https://BSSSB-LLC.com
The heart is like a mirror, people can see through everything
1. I have seen the prosperous life, but it is still the most dull and true. In life, it doesn't matter if you do something or not. Emotions, ignoring those who like you, and ignoring those who like you, it’s not called fighting for bad. Good morning!
2. The most beautiful scenery in the world is that you have a kind heart, exuding a beautiful magnetic field and charm, wherever you go, you will be illuminated wherever you go, wherever you are warm, positive energy, righteousness, righteousness, righteousness, righteousness, righteousness and deeds, you don’t have to admire Others, you are the most beautiful scenery, sunshine, kindness, upward, take every step of your own! Dear friends. Good morning!
3. For a person who works moderately, happiness comes from work, just like having colorful petals before a flower bears fruit. Good morning!
4. No matter what everyone says, I think my feelings are correct. What you like can naturally be persisted, and what you don’t like will not last long. Never envy someone else’s life, even if that person seems happy and rich. Never judge whether someone is happy, even if that person looks lonely and helpless. Good morning!
Fifth, life is not a race, it is a journey, and enjoy every part of the scenery. Good morning!
6. Good morning, find someone who can drive you positively, find someone who is like the sun, and help you expose all the confusion that is not worth mentioning!
Seven, the vast universe, the vague life, human life is more suffering than happiness, when we come to this world crying, it means that suffering will go with us, we are sad, angry, worried, but still suffering The perseverance in the middle is used to create our joy and the miracle of happiness.
8. No one cares about how much effort you have put in, whether you are tired or not, whether it hurts or not, they will only see where you stand in the end, and then envy and hate.
Sometimes I have to take a look at the bathroom mirror and look at myself in the mirror, so that I can understand myself more clearly!
A good deed is usually accepted with open arms. Righteous deeds on the other hand don't always receive praise and gratitude like good deeds do. What is the difference between good and righteous? The apostle Peter made a distinction between the two in his first epistle. Click below to read today's post
https://ramckinley.com/what-is-the-difference-between-good-and-righteousness/
